Mobile devices have become an essential part of our lives — a fact that businesses can no longer afford to ignore. To stay competitive, businesses need to embrace mobile devices, but not at the expense of their cybersecurity. This is why they also have to invest in mobile device management (MDM).
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MDM solutions enable IT administrators to control and secure mobile devices that are used for work, whether these gadgets are personally owned by employees or company-issued. With an MDM solution in place, you can enjoy a myriad of benefits, including:
Simplified mobile device management
Managing mobile devices can be difficult, especially if your company uses multiple device types like laptops, smartphones, tablets, and Internet of Things devices as well as different operating systems (OSs) like Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. An MDM solution creates a centralized console where IT admins can easily manage the different mobile devices used in your organization. It also enables admins to control, support, and troubleshoot devices remotely without requiring user input, so repairs and maintenance can be performed without affecting your employees’ productivity.
Improved security
MDM allows your IT admin to protect your business’s data in many ways.
- Device and app configuration – Your IT admin can remotely adjust device and software settings in all devices registered in the MDM platform.
- Access control – Your IT admin can set access privileges and restrictions based on each employee’s role in the organization, geographic location, and the network they’re connected to. An MDM solution can also identify mobile devices with security problems (e.g., unpatched OS, jailbroken) and prevent users from accessing the company’s resources until the issues are resolved.
- Software updates rollout – Your IT admin can quickly push software updates to all registered mobile devices or send company-wide reminders to install updates once these are available.
- Security measures enforcement – Your IT admin can easily set up enrolled devices with passcodes, multifactor authentication, secure VPN, and other security measures.
- Data encryption – Your IT admin can enforce encryption on all registered mobile devices. Encryption ensures that even if a data breach occurs, the leaked data will be incomprehensible to anyone who does not possess the decryption key.
- Monitoring – Your IT admin can monitor user behavior and activity to see what data is being accessed and how apps are being used.
- Remote lock or wipe – Your IT admin can remotely lock a mobile device or remove the business data and apps it contains. They can also revoke that device’s access rights to the company system. These MDM features are particularly helpful in the event a mobile device gets lost, stolen, or compromised, or when an employee leaves the company.
Regulatory compliance
Companies in highly regulated industries are required to comply with stringent data privacy and security laws. For instance, healthcare organizations are subject to HIPAA. Achieving and maintaining compliance can be especially challenging for organizations that allow many mobile devices to access company data and IT resources. An MDM solution can help your business with this issue.
You can track and monitor your compliance initiatives through the unified console on your MDM platform. This lets you identify any security gaps in employees’ devices that may result in violations, as well as the appropriate solutions to these vulnerabilities. Newer MDM tools also have enhanced logging and reporting functions that help you meet your compliance obligations.
Need help managing your company’s mobile devices? SpectrumWise’s IT specialists can recommend and set you up with an MDM solution that will keep your business’s mobile devices secure and running optimally at all times. Schedule a consultation with us today.
